Grain-assorter.



7 Llifi fififi.

Application filed April 14, 1806, Serial No. 311,644.

smarts PATENTQFFJIGE.

GUST CARLSON, OF MGL INE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO DEERE & MANSUR COMPANY, OF

MGLINE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

GRAIN-ASSORTEB.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gus'r CARLsoN, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at Mollne,

in the county ofRock Island and State of miscellaneous mass for the purpose of separating from such mass all the kernels having a certain predeterminedthickness and not exceeding a predetermined width. As is well-known the most approved automatically acting corn planting mechanisms depend upon an accurate counting of the kernels which aredropped for each hill; this counting being accomplished by devices which receive edgewise all of the kernels of a certain thickness and size. It is desirable to initially supply to such planting mechanism masses of kernels which are equal to each other as concerns the'dimensions upon which the planting mechanism depends for its proper action.

Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 0Ja3 of Fig. 2, showing an assorting mechanism embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine; Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the liney y of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan 'view of one of the longitudinal or screening bars detachedyFig. 5 isa cross-section of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line .2 2 of Fig. 4.

The mechanism illustrated in the drawings comprises a main framework and the movable operative parts mounted'thereon. The frame has side bars or casing boards 1, 2, ahead end board 3 and a foot end board l. The end board ,3 is shown extended downward, as indicated at 5, to provide a support from the floor or ground. At 6 there is another vertically arranged board or frame piece, the'lower part of which can also be utilized as a iioor support. In this framework there is mounted a longitudinally and vertically reciprocating frame comprising the longitudinal side boards or sills 10, 10, the cross bar 11 at the head end,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14,1915.

Renewed November 13, 1912. Serial No. 731,228.

and the cross bar 12 at the foot. The cross bar 11 1S used to provide a vertical support for the receiving endor head end, it being connected to and carried by thepower shaft 13 which is provided with an eccentric l4 and strap 15, which is secured to the ends of the vibrating frame.

At the foot end this frame is supported vertically by means of projections 19 which are fitted in slideways, 18. These projections may be the ends of a cross-bar 16 secured to the top of the frame bar' 12. To hold them in place use is made of guide cleats 17 having slots 18 in which are fitted and travel the projecting parts 19. i

W hen the shaft 13 is rotated the eccentric 14 carried thereby will cause the header upper end of the frame to rise and fall and also cause it; to bodily reciprocate longitudinally of the main frame. This reciprocatlng frame has a series of longitudinally arranged parallel assorting or seed guiding bars 20, 21 and 21, the bar 20 being at the extremity of theseries on one side of the machine and the bar 21 being at the other extremity of the series at the other side of the machine. The intermediate bars 21 are each formed in the way shown in Figs. 4:, 5 and 6, and each is made of a section of sheet metal bent into ii-form, as shown in 'Figs. 5 and (i, so as to provide side faces 22 sloping comparatively sharply, and the crown or apex line 'The bottom edges of each of these bars is distant from the bottom edges of the adjacent bars on each side so as to leave vertical passageways 22 be tween them. These passageways extend for 'a suitable distance longitudinally of the bars 21, but each'of these bars 21 iscut away for the remaining drstanceon one side along its lower edge, and this cutaway part leaves wider vertical passageways 2e. Kernels of grain can move either to the right or to the left-along one face 22 or the other of each of these bars 21. The bar 20 at one side of the machine is made and shaped similarly to the bars 21, but one of its faces 22 is largely covered by the frame bar 10 so as to prevent the kernels of grain from slipping outward on the bar and compelling them to 7 move inward toward the longitudinal center. The bar 21 on the other side of the machine is not recessed or cut away, as will be seen on examining Fig; 2.

The eilect of'cutting away-or recessing 115 V 7 andS. Each of theseplates or bars27 1s 7 1-21, and cansea step by step advance of such ,head of the machine the teeth on the parts the bars is to make each wider at its "receiving end and narrower, as at 25, at 1ts foot or delivery end. Each of the lam-s20, 21-, 21

is provided with a relatively short but still wider recesses, at as 26, so that at points near the' extreme end of the bars there are wide passage for kernels to drop. These bars 20, 21 and 21, being secured to and carried by theframe 10, 11 and 12, will vibrate vertically and reciprocate longitudinally therei with, as will be understood.

27, 27 indicate vertically arranged bars or plates which are stationary relatively :to the mainframe and secured thereto by resting upon andbeing fastened tofthe cross bars, 6,

provided with or has formed upon its upper edge a series of teeth 28, 29 and 30. These are of's'uch shape that they will engagewith kernels whicharesuspended by the bars 20,

kernels. Thetoothed plates are in thevertical planes of thepassageways22? and 2-1.

-Themovable'frame10, 11,12, as des ends,

causes the protruding of the teeth 28, 529

and 30 through these apertur'esbetween the ,bars and during a part ofthe rotation of the shaft 13 they remain thus protruding and in engagement with the kernels ofcorn, and as the movable frame is drawn toward the 27 cause a relative advance ofthe kernels along the frame.

The kernels which drop through the passages 2 1 are received in a hopper-liko chamher-31 having, if necessary, a sloping wall 32, and are delivered to thescreen 3at. This has sidebars 35, an end bar-3'6 and a cross "bar 37. By the'cross bar 37 the frame is pivoted at 37? to the main frame and by the head bar 36 it is pivoted to a vibrating lever bar 38, which in turn is pivoted to the sideboard l of the machine. The frame thus .just describedsupports ascreen plate v39 having circular apertures'as shown at 40.

The bar 38is connected by a link '41 to a secondpivoted bar 42 situated near the shaft 13. 43 is a cam on this shaftand at each "revolution of the latter the cam engages scribed willbe readily understood.

with the lever bar 12 and through the link island leverx38zimpartsa swinging move- ,mentto the sieve frame and sieve.- As soon as the cam 43 escapes from the bar. 42 the screen and the parts connected therewith arereturned to their initial position by the spring 44.

a The grain is initially suppliedto the-machine in a hopper 4-5., the front wall of which is notched or recessed at its'lower edge as shown at 46.

Theoperation of the machine above de- If a mass of corn, for example, is suppliedto the hopper and the shaft 13 put in motion, the

asserting frameis subjected to :a series of the kernels.

forward and backward movements, bodily, in relat on to the main frame and the rear or receiving-end is'subjected ton-series of rising and falling. movements. These cause the'kernels of corn to come out from. the bottcm ofthe hopper through the recesses 46 in a series of rows,'each of these rows forming itself in one of the il-shaped'cavities between an nclined face on abar 20 or 21 and the inclined faceof thead acent bar. The lateral dimension of the passages .22 is suchthat they willpermit the downward escape of only thoseikernelsiwhich are undesirably thin and the escape of sirallpieces, or the escape of broken particles of project through the passageways 22 far enough to cause a step by step advance of the kernels along the bar-s20, 21. The corn grains are lying eachwith one of its edges ward between the barsf'As soon as the kernels ofeac'h row reach the wider Qpas sageways at2, those which are'of the ,de sired thickness will dropfthroughsaid passageways into the hop-per 31 and be caught on the screen 3 1. The llongitudinaladvancing of the kernels stepby step is still being caused by the teeth of the bars 27, onemovementbeing effected'at each rotation of the shaft 13. V I

Those kernels which, are too thick to escape downward through the passages 2& move onward step by step until they reach the wider passageways-M26. Thesekernels arelthe ones which are approximately spheroidal in form and'require a passageway of longer cross dimensions. 1 2 he kernels WlHClIPZL SS throu h-that section of the assorter that hes abovethe hopper 31 require a still further asserting. T he separation that occurs in the upper shaking frame depends upon differences in the thickness dimensions of the kernels; But those of equal thickness may be unequal in width and it is desirable to obtain a mass of kernels which shall be as uniform as possible both with respect to thickness and with respect to width,

turned downwardQbut unabletopass down- As above described, the kernels which drop through the passages 24 arereceived by the shaking screen 3 1, and the apertures 10 in this have a diameter which is predetermined with relation to the widthsof Those of a width not exceeding that which is predetermined will drop through these apertures 40, while those which have .a greater width "will slide down the screen 34: over the apertures andfinally escape at its lower edge, A sharp shake is given to this screen :at each revolution of the shaft bythe springflt. When the cam 43 escapes from the lever bar 42 the spring quickly pulls thelever 38 back against a stop or an abutment 47, tlmsimpart ng to the screen'S a snapping action which glves the screen a jar, setting the kernels in motion which are Collected thereon and causing those which are sufliciently narrow to enter and drop through the apertures 40.

I'have above described quite fully the de tails of the form of machine which I illustrate and which I at present prefer. But it a continuous floor formed with one or more trough-like cavities or grooves because of the ease and economy of manufacture. It will be noted that 1n the-floonhke structure which supports the grain there are one or more passages for the dropping of the kernels, each passageway having a narrower part and a wider part and it will be seen that above these passageways there are means for causing the kernels to move or slide edgewise downward.

It will be observed that the side walls of the grooves in the floor of the screen'or' shaking frame to which the grain is delivered are sharply mcllned, and are arranged at such dlstance apart, and are of such height relative to the width of the openings in the bottoms of the grooves, that the seeds orkernels, which are thin, will be maintained in rows and vertically on edge. From this it follows that when a seed or kernel comes to that part of an opening that corresponds with the thickness of that particular kernel, it will be in position to freely drop through the openings T he stationary feed bars 27 operate both to lift the kernels within, and to advance them along, the grooves in the floor of the screen. This inermittent lifting of the seeds or kernels, and allowing of them to fall or move downward along the inclined walls constituting the sides of the grooves, repeatedly presents each seed to the opening in the bottom of the groove, thus precluding its assuming such a position that it will not pass through the slot-like opening even though the width of the latter be sufficiently great to permit the kernel to pass therethrough if'properly presented.

I am aware that apparatus has been proposed for sorting or g"ading articles of approximately cylindrical shape, but differing in diameter, by causing them to pass over a suppo ting surface in which are formed parallel openings of increasing width from the feeding on toward the tail end of the screen. But no such apparatus of which I am aware has been adapted to grade or sort flat seeds, such as Indian corn kernels, and in none of them was there provision made for arranging and maintaining thin flat seeds on edge, nor for repeatedly presenting them edgewise toward a slot or narrow opening in the screen surface.

. By having the kernel advancing mechanism, such as the toothed bars 27, supported stationarily I can use a number of fingers or teeth placed closely together so that they will have numerous points of engagement with the rows of kernels and more effectively advance the latter.

What I claim is y 1. In an apparatus for asserting Indian corn kernels or similar flat seeds, the combination of ascreen the supportingsurface of which is formed with a series of longi tudinal grooves having sharply inclined walls arranged close together, and with slots in the bottoms of said grooves, the slots being narrowertoward the feeding on end andwider toward the tail end of the screen,

a hopper arrangedto deliver the seeds to the grooves in the screen, means for imparting to the screen longitudinal and vertical movements, and a series of bars with toothed upper edges, supported independently of the screen and extending upward through the said slots into the grooves, the said bars being arranged to repeatedly lift the seeds within the grooves, to present them in new positions to the slots and to advance them along the grooves, substantially as set forth.

2. In a mechanism for assorting grain kernels, the combination of a vertically and longitudinally reciprocating frame, a floorlike structure for holding the grain which moves with the frame, and having a series of vertical passageways, each passageway having a narrow and a wider part, kernel advancing means having fingers and means for varying the position relative to each other vertically, of the kernel advancing means and vertical passageways so that the teeth are alternately in engagement'and out of engagement with the grain kernels su ported on the floor like structure over the vertical passageways.

3. In a mechanism for asserting grain kernels the combination with the vertically and longitudinally reciprocating frame having a floor-like support for holding the grain with a se ies of vertical passage ays, each passageway having a narrower part and a wider part, of a series of stationary serrated or toothed plates or bars supported independently of the reciprocating frame. the position relative to each other vertically of the floor like support and toothed plates being thereby varizble so that the teeth are intermittently in the same horizontal plane as the vertical passageways and at other times in a horizontal plane .below that in which are the said passageways at snch'other times at. In an apparatus for grading Indian corn kernels according to their relative thickness and also according to their circurnferential size, the combination of a screen having vertical slots for the downward dropoing of the seeds, the slots being of cliiierent widths in their different parts longitudinally, saidscreen being adapted to support the seeds with their edges downward, means for moving them while on edge over the slots, and means for grading as to circumferential size the kernels of the sizes that pass through the'portions of the slots having certain widths,substantially as set forth. 7 In a grain assorting machine, the combination of a screen formed with longitudinal slots through which the corn is adapted to pass, of feeder bars, each of which is mounted in the vertical plane of one of the said slots respectively, and means for varying the position relative to each other, both in a direction perpendicular to their longitudinal lines and in the direction of their longitudinal lines, of the feeder bars and screen slots so that the feeder bars are successively, first below the bottom plane of the slots; then least in part; above the'bottom plane of the slots, then in a relatively advanced'posltion longitudinally within the slots and then in the initial position, whereby screen having at one end part narrow open-J ngs through which can passgsma'll impurities and at theother" end part wider slots throughwhichvcan pass kernels having thicknesses not exceeding the'widthof the slots,

means for supporting the screen at'the' second said end in a manneritoprevent verticalmovement, and means engaging: the

first said end of the screen for reciprocating it vertically, whereby there is relatively violent agitationat the first part toremove im- V puritiesand relatively less violent agitation at the other part to permit the'k'ernels" to enter the slots. i

Intestirnony whereof I aifix mysignature, 1n presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses: V V V M; E. JOHNSON, 13,. F. HATCI-IER.

, GUST nge Copies of this patent niey be obtained for five cents each, byed dressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G., C V 

